blactivegan

 yes yes, y’all…healthy heartbeats…plump tomatoes and carrot sticks y’all.  brooklyn goes veg, the “borough-wide initiative”, brings you the 1st annual vegetarian restaurant week. as these kinds of regional multi-restaurant initiatives go, all participating enterprises are commissioned to bring their “a+ game”.  so my omnivore friends feel at ease and take a chance…not everything with tofu tastes the same…be prepared to taste a “soy chicken sandwich” that tastes better than any deli sub or lunch break panini.  click on the picture for details and try something new.

the highlight of my all too short trip to acapulco began to take shape in a conversation with a waitress. of course i was attracted to acapulco’s weather, bountiful (and peculiar) flora and of course! i had to see and swim with a few sea turtles. but my first initiative to connect with people and learn/share culture. this trip was no different especially since this mexico trip was a stop in the african diaspora. “es ustedes antropologicos?”, the waitress asks as i finished my tofu taco from 100% natural. with such a beautiful smile draping off of high cheek bones…and a honey brown complexion i couldn’t help but think of my grandmother - a harlemite raised by her bahamian father during the late 30’s…could there be a connection? it appears that mi abuelita’s twin sis was curious as to why nite*vision and i were so interested in “black” mexican history, particularly since we did not “look” the part of academicians. it so happened that favy was born in “la chica costa” region of mexico and strongly identifies as afromestiza and was very proud to speak about the various sades of brown in her family and other cultural aesthetics - just as every afromestiza was when we spoke to them. both, mine and favy ’s, inquiries (researcher and my grandma) were explored by the “african by legacy, mexican by birth” installation at the caribbean cultural center and later by the mexican fine arts musuem in chicago (one of the largest mexican diasporic centers outside of cali). the untold history of yanga, vera cruz and the overlooked descendants of african and indigenous warriors in Continue reading tapping the ‘third root’: mexico’s african history…

yup1 it’s been 41 days and i’m still missing it all…

man its been a while, a real while (blogging and cycling). the summer schedule at work has been a serious drain –not to mention that beautiful north american humidity + city pollution. the last time i “transformed and roll(ed) out” (that’s from the real cartoon optimus prime) was the 34th annual father’s day harlem bike race (yes a rectangular crit race around good ol’ marcus garvey park) –which was pretty upsetting. to make a long story short:

i entered into the open category race; first lap was a killer, i thought i wouldn’t make it; but then those who sprinted out began to drop like flies; i began to think to myself - “hey self, you might not only finish this race, but place some where ahead of the last person”; i began to get my wind back up after completing the 1st lap; …steadily diggin’ passing all those sprinted out too quickly, all of whom now make up a loose desert of fatigued riders; gliding down the west side of the park i prepare to lean into the awkwardly sharp corner of 120th street, slicing through my opponents’ lousy grimaces and unanswered squalls from oxygen, i’m getting amped up and i gunnin’ for the front pack — i can smell the “xylem juice” (that’ve the vegan alternative to blood); and then the wackest experience — well it could have been worst, but still this is my first “semi”-crit race ever – i got a stinking flat!

so that was it. at least i did not crash. but the rest of the major taylor “fam” represented as they always do. so in light of the small hiatus and bahian enchantment, i decided to break myself back in with a solo 50 miler up to river road last saturday, an impromptu decision made in response to a canceled westbury ride. **shout out to greg boogie a.k.a. g-unit for rolling up to the g dubbs + the advice on the chamois butter: the universe makes sense now. the summer has a bunch of obligations and traveling commitments so i wont get back on seriously until september, but so far i have amasses a cool 1247.2 miles since march. it was cool getting back up with the ironriders this week for the wednesday training ride (see pictures below); but i won’t see you all again until the 22nd and/or the “follow-up” raoul alphonso memorial ride to new hope, pa. be safe and enjoy william “hank” ashley memorial montauk ride on the 12th.

it was a rare honor to play in brazil and i drew some fiery coals of inspiration from mestre valmir and his f.i.c.a.-bahia students which will stoke my angoliero fire for years to come. in general, being so close to the source of capoeira; witnessing the pride and seeing how vital this living warrior art STILL is to folks in bahia led me to a reappraisal of my training in the art. while capoiera in brazil can run the gamit from commercial tourist attractions to humble students and mestre committed to cultural preservation, i was most moved by the use of capoiera as a core part of the curriculum at a teacher/community directed independent school named escola aberta do calabar and at a quilombo to honor their ancestors who used the art for defense. the calabar school, the 2nd independent school in bahia, run exclusively by the teachers who live in the neighborhood. the community projects such as the independent school and other youth programs are components of the neighborhood’s legacy of self-determination; a community named for their nigerian ancestors -the calabari - who were displaced here during slavery and later making this place a quilombo. quilombo são francisco do paraguaçu is a haven plush with nature’s best deeply lain within bahia’s reconcavo region. the difficulty in reaching there is a characteristic that allowed the ancestors of the citizens here to be protected them from portugues oppressors. the citizens there today are the proud decendants of self-liberated enslaved africans and are trustees of the land who struggle to maintain their identity and rights to the land from a vicious media conglomerate and murderous farmers intent on taking this land. it was good to see and play outside of the u.s. playing capoeira is definitely a conversation and i enjoyed the dialogue with this angoleiro. as rusty as i am, i needed to say the “angoleiros prayer”. even though roquelua got me in this game, i put out a few tricks of my own…mad love meu primo - enjoy the clips!

today, may 19th, marks the 82nd birthday of el-hajj malik el-shabazz (formerly known as malcolm x). his message of self-determination is still alive and continues to resonate as an ideal. and while the popular representations of his life and example are of his eloquent delivery, rhetorical genius and “tell it like it is” stance, all of these, in my opinion, are the superficial layer of a core much more significant and fundamental to who he was. he was a “student of life” committed to discovering the truth for his spirit. for him personal development was the fuel of his life’s work and this personal development was inextricably linked to community development. how else could he have been as effective as an orator and convincing as a leader had he not transformed himself from the destructive vices of drugs, alcohol and hustling? this honest evolution continues to inspire oppressed and marginalized peoples of the world, particularly youth.

he was as unafraid of publicly “speaking truth to power” as he was dedicated to self improvement. with an inner compass set on growth, he was able to carefully trek a terrain of integrity, never getting lost in dogma. in death he is probably more loved and celebrated than many living leaders, partly because he recognized & accepted his citizenship to the human race without diluting his love of black folks. it was che who said: “the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love”.

“don’t be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn’t do what you do or think as you think or as fast. there was a time when you didn’t know what you know today”

he was a remarkable thinker, whose critical thinking was holistic, incessantly progressive and expanded outside the context of race and geography. furthermore, his ideas extended as far inwardly as they did outwardly. Continue reading moving beyond the “x”: a legacy of transformation…

“…take off the blazer/loosen up the tie/step inside the booth/the [finisher's] alive” jay z - kingdom come [mr.cee's old school @ noon promo]

well not exactly, but sean carter’s lyrical clark kent-to-superman reference was apropos for my morning’s state of mind. determined to do much better than my first duathlon - having dedicated this race to my mom, emah, nana, grandma, sisters (crys, tiff, simcha), aunties -i had to come out of the proverbial phone booth. of course i had to get pysched (see the ‘music in my mind’ playlist to the right). this the first competition of the year; the first one for which i actually trained on the bike for).

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getting smoked/humbled last year inspired a plan - a) join a cycling club b) start training. well the mtir’s took care of both. joined with them in march and did what i could to keep up with them on the saturday rides. in addition, i enter into the new york cycling club’s renowned c-sig class late march (graduation’s coming up). putting in miles @ prospect park in the morning and riding pace line with the pack that shows up anyhwere between 9-9:30 got my cycling fitness out of the infancy stage. alot more improvements to to undergo, however here are the results: overall time 1:31:51.0 (1:45:58.0 last time) placing 35th out of 80 competitors (59 out of 79 last time). all of this after completing a 70 mile c-sig ride to tarrytown yesterday. next race: queens biathlon van cortlandt 5k cross country run. next event c-sig graduation ride

“throughout history, black people have used bicycles as a mode of transportation. today we must promote physical activity within the cultural context of african american history, including the struggle to freedom from slavery. the underground railroad bicycle route demonstrates how to use cultural tailoring designed to get people moving.” dr. stephen b. thomas, cmh director and professor of community health & social justice at the univ. of pittsburgh graduate school of public health.

once a clandestine path travelled under the cloak of nightfall and whose details were ingeniously encoded in song, can now be physically (re)traced and (re)appreciated in the context of fitness, historical reflection, and courage. the underground railroad bicycle route is a 2,058 mile historic trail stretching from mobile bay on the gulf of mexico to the great lakes in ontario with the mission to “promote lifelong health…to people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.” this landmark mapping project began over 3 years ago as a joint venture between the adventure cycling association and the university of pittsburg’s center for minority health of pennsylvania.

because of the trail’s length and plethera of historic sites (ft erie’s bertie hall, st. catherine’s museum), cyclists can choose short segments or tackle the entire trail. on april 14, the adventure cycling association sponsored 18 cyclists on a 50 mi a day, 48-day road trip ending in buffalo. but its not too late to be apart of this historic event. The final leg, a 7-day ride open to 80 riders, will start on july 30th and end on aug 3rd connecting buffalo to owen sound. the closing of this inaguaral 2100 mile trip will coincide with owen sound’s 145th emancipation festival. owen sound’s particular significance is that of a emotional site of relief and freedom, as for many passengers who journeyed the “rail” to escape america’s peculiar institution.

“the challenge to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities requires implementation of interventions that are scientifically sound and culturally appropriate,” dr. thomas

the owen sound site also is the gateway to north america’s rich african-canadian heritage - a “living” story spliced from the classroom and many discourses on the african diaspora. for more african canadian resources check out these site: historic black canadians,afrotoronto,book references,afua cooper,and a fellow wordpress blogger with interesting sources. Continue reading underground railroad bike route…

the continuum of wisdom flows from elders to youth…and when youth become elders the baton pass continues… never has this reigned so true for me as in yesterday’s ride to new jersey. a brand new member of the major taylor iron rider crew with prideful energy coursing through my arteries, the chorus of tupac’s classic -“ambitionz az a ridah” - became my theme music; in my head steadily on repeat…

“i won’t deny it/ i’m a straight rider/ you don’t want to mess with me…” (radio version)

what began as a casual 20 mi ride to northvale (multi-tiered for riding level) became a grueling journey defining character, humility, brotherhood, snotty noses, teary eyes and achy (pride) muscles.

needless to say, i made it back alive and safe. normally i would take the 17 mi ride up to the george washington bridge and then head back to bklyn [reason: fitness level; the cold air ripping through my non-cycling gear], but this day i saw the “jersey side” of the “g-dubbs” and rode with the crew. i promised myself every ride i would do a little bit more, unbeknownst to me that i was in for it. after it was all over, this ironrider had to take the iron horse (the “a” train) back home, licking my wounds all the way. my fellow -more seasoned - ironriders held me down. mad love and respect yall. see you on the wednesday night ride in the park. my pride should be nursed back to health by then. but for now here’s the play by play… Continue reading the human baton…

reflecting on the life and legacy of mlk has left me to consider how deep do my beliefs (in anything) run. often referred to as a civil rights activist, the rev. dr. martin luther king, jr. was clearly more. a son, a father, husband, warrior…the list is endless. but what has struck me recently with chords of curiosity and introspection is one of the ways in which his family has chosen to carry on his work and message: the embrace of the vegan diet as a natural progression of peace and “non-violence”. both dr. mlk’s recently passed freedom fighter wife, coretta scott king and their sons, dexter and martin luther king iii, embraced the vegan diet. in an interview, dexter king stated:

“veganism has given me a higher level of awareness and spirituality, primary because the energy associated with eating has shifted to other areas…if you’re violent to yourself by putting [harmful] things into your body that violate its spirit, it will be difficult not to perpetuate that [violence] onto someone else.” click here for the rest.

my own path to the vegan diet was reached through a health conscious compass, but i can fully appreciate the meaning behind animals rights and how it can inform a decision to refrain from eating so called “meat”. the line of thinking that led martin luther king, jr.’s family to a vegan diet is commendable in my opinion - growing within and advancing the legacy by through fresh perspectives and self-analysis. in honor of king’s legacy, i can and will do more to grow and deepen empowering beliefs through staying open to new & diverse ideas, action, critical thought and self reflection. for more info on the life of the life-activist mlk check out the king center for social change’s site. here is another site inspired by martin luther king’s message: vegan outreach